Adjustable indexing-clip.



N0. 782,071. PATENT BD FEB. 7, 1905. G. 0. SMITH. ADJUSTABLE INDEXING GLIP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1902.

WITNESSES: IN VENTOH fifiwww wi BY A TTOHWE VS.

Patented February '7 1905.

CHARLES C. SHITH, OF EXETER, NEBRASKA.

ADJUSTABLE lNDEXlNG-CLIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,071, dated February 7, 1905.

Application tiled October 21, 1902. Serial No. 128,121.

To a, whom it nmy (OH/(74171.:

Be itknown that I, (,HAnLns C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Exeter, in the county of Fillmore and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Imit is intended in carrying out the present 1 invention to provide an article of the charac ter specified which shall be capable of being easily and quickly attached to a leafof a book 3 or a card, the clip being so constructed that its biting edges shall firmly and tightly grasp between them the leaf or card in such manner that it cannot be accidentally dislodged or pulled therefrom and neighboring cards or leaves cannot accidentally slip under or catch thereon, yet when desired said clip can be immediately removed from one sheet or card and placed upon another.

In removable indexes or indexing-tags of the general type to which my improvements appertain that are now on the market great difiiculty has been experienced in embodying the essential features of durability, simplicity, ease, and positiveness of operation with cheapness of cost, the tags heretofore made being either unsatisfactory in operation or somewhat complicated in structure, and consequently quite expensive both to manufacturer and purchaser. Therefore it is to obviate the objections hereinbefore mentioned that the present invention is devised; and it consists in the peculiar construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described in this specification, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claim.

\Vhile 1 have herein shown and described my preferred form of indexing-clip, it will of course be evident and is to be understood that 1 do not wish to limit myself to the precise details thereof, as there can be modifications and variations in these respects without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrilicing any of the advantages thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a series of cards composing what is commonly termed a card ledger system and showing my improvements in use thereon. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a corner of an ordinary account-book, such as a ledger, having my clip applied for use thereto. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my improvement, and Fig. i is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line -L of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawingsin detail, and particularly to Figs. 3 and 1 thereof, wherein my improvement is shown, it will be observed that the clip is formed of two pieces or strips, as at .1 and 2., which may be formed of any suitable material, preferably of sheet metal, such as spring-steel. Each of said strips or portions 1 and 2 is provided with a transversely-arranged outwardly-extending shoulder, as 3 and :h, from which shoulders the lower portion of the clip or the jaws thereof, as at and 6, extend downwardly approximately parallel with each other, but spaced apart almost their entire length, owing to the peculiar formation of the shoulders above referred to. The extremities or ends of the jaws 5 and 6 are turned or curved inwardly, as shown at '7 and 8, such edges or extremities of the portions 7 and 8 when the clip is out of use normally abutting or contacting with each other. \Vhen in use, said jaws form a tight joint with the leaf or card, so that neighboring cards or leaves cannot easily slip under or catch on them. During the process of its manufacture after the strips of metal have been formed as desired the faces 1 and 2 are placed flush or contacting with each other and rivets, pins, or other fastening means, as at 9, are passed through said contacting face portions, thus holding the two normally and securely together. \Vhile the rivets may be placed at any point along the surfaces of said portions 1 and 2, still for the sake of convenience I prefer to locate them as close as possible to the shoulders 3 and 4, as this will givea greater bearing strength or biting elfect to the extremities of the jaws.

Instead of or in addition to forming the shoulders as described a block of any suitable materialsuch as wood, metal, or rubber may be interposed between the parts 1 and 2 and the entire structure fastened in any desired manner, as by riveting. It will therefore be observed that the sides of the clip, with the exception of the inwardly-extending jaws, may be perfectly flat or straight and be held apart and approximately parallel to each other by the aforesaid interposing block.

To secure a variety of classifications, symbols, such as letters or numerals, as shown in the drawings accompanying this specification, in Figs. 1 and 2, may in any desired manner he placed on the flat portions 1 and 2, or the clips may be differently colored, (some green, some red, some blue, and so on,)or the portions 1 and 2 may be perforated or made in different shapes, (some round-cornered, some square-cornered, some pointed, and so on.) If necessary, both sides 1 and 2 may have numerals or other designating-symbols placed thereon, or only one side may be so marked. It will further be evident that instead of forming the clip out of two separate pieces of metal but one piece may be employed, such piece being bent transversely approximately centrally of its length and then formed as is the clip which has been described.

While clips or indexes of the kind above described may be advantageously used for a variety of purposes, perhaps the most important use for them is in connection with books or card-files, where by their symbols, colors, shapes, or positions they may be used to designate different cards, leaves, or divisions, so that such cards, leaves, or divisions may be immediately picked out or referred to without handling any other cards, leaves, or divisions. This manner of employing my improved indexing-clip will be evident from an examination of Figs. 1 and 2. In its application in Fig. l to the series of cards composing what is, as hereinbefore stated, a card ledger system we will assume that such cards are employed for the purpose of keeping accounts. hen charges are entered on the cards or when monthly statements are taken off, a clip is placed near the end of each card, which clip by its color or number or shape indicates when the account if not paid should receive further attention or a draft drawn upon the debtor. The two clips designated by the numerals 5 and 10 in the second row in said Fig. 1 were originally in the first row and are assumed to have been slipped along to the second position, indicating that a draft has been drawn upon the parties. This is but one example of the many ways in which my clip may be employed, as the system is so flexible that it may readily be adapted to special uses.

The numerous uses to which my improvement maybe adapted and the many advantages incident thereto are so evident as to immediately suggest themselves. 1 Therefore it is unnecessary to enter into detailed enumeration of the same at this time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- As an improved article of manufacture, an index-clip consisting of two spring members formed at one side of the center of their lengths with outwardly-extending offsets or shoulders, forming flat and approximately parallel and spaced jaws, said jaws having their extremities bent inwardly into engagement with each other, the portions of'the members above the shoulders being in contact, and rivets securing the contacting portions of the members together, said rivets being arranged adjacent to the shoulders of said members, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES C. SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

JNO. M. BITTER, RICHARD B. CAvANAoH. 

